


Sealed with a Kiss

by wordsmithraven



Series: Samwena Week April 2020 [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Chuck Shurley is God, Demon Deals, F/M, Heaven & Hell, King of Heaven!Sam, Kings & Queens, Political Alliances, Post-Canon, Romance, god!sam, queen of hell!rowena
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:21:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23522968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordsmithraven/pseuds/wordsmithraven
Summary: Sam asks Queen of Hell Rowena for help after a life changing experience leaves him with new celestial duties.Samwena Fan Week 2020 - Day 1: Queen Rowena and King Sam
Relationships: Rowena MacLeod/Sam Winchester
Series: Samwena Week April 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1693411
Comments: 2
Kudos: 30
Collections: Samwena Week





	Sealed with a Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> Samwena Fan Week 2020 - Day 1: Queen Rowena and King Sam

Sam’s footsteps echoed through the cavernous room as he approached Rowena’s throne. From the corner of his eye, he saw shadows churning in the dark. Demons outside of a flesh body who’d forgotten how to fake a corporeal form or were too weak to even try. Other demons stood in front of them, some mimicking a body and others actually possessing human hosts. With his new power, he was able to perceive the difference now with one look. 

Sam pressed his lips together more tightly to suppress a snarl. He didn’t think there’d ever be a day he got completely comfortable with demons or Hell. Some leftover discomfort from his younger days still lingered decades later. Too many lifetimes trapped in a cage with Lucifer in this place had made sure of that.

Sam focused back on the woman in front of him. No need to wander down memory lane here.

Pandæmonium Palace was always different depending on the ruler of Hell, and Rowena had clearly done some redecorating. Hellfire now licked at the outside of vaunted crystal windows and the infernal flames heated the room unbearably. They also lit Rowena a somewhat differently than the earthly version. It was as if the hellfire was caught in her skin and simmered just beneath the surface. She seemed different from the last time Sam had seen her nearly sixty years before. He wasn’t quite sure what it was but he could almost taste it. 

Sam noticed that her demonic boy-toy entourage was missing. No servants kneeling at her feet, handing her conjured drinks. No pseudo-Christian iconography anymore either. The cobra throne and inverted crosses were replaced by a chair of twisting vines. Sam frowned slightly. In fact, the throne seemed to actually reshape itself every time Rowena moved, molding to her posture. The vines gaped at points to reveal a yawning darkness inside. How Rowena kept her seat without sliding off was a mystery to Sam. It had to have been an illusion.

Rowena rocked her head slightly as he drew close and a single tendril of russet hair escaped the intricate knot she’d made of it. Sam’s eyes followed the lock as it came to rest on her bare shoulder. Around her neck wrapped a delicate torc of braided silver shaped into a bough of what looked like apple blossoms.

“Samuel,” she said, drawing out the vowels. “Fancy meeting you here.”

Her lips curved up and she extended a hand toward him. Sam tilted his head and scoffed. She wiggled her fingers more emphatically so he rolled his eyes and stepped forward, lifting one foot onto the step raising Rowena above her court. He bent enough to take her hand in his and lightly brushed his lips over her fingers. Her spiritual body felt warm and soft. Far more alive than ghosts usually felt to him when they touched him. Typically they felt cold and empty, even here in a dimension where they naturally had a more solid form. Rowena’s small hand in his felt almost the same as it had when they’d cast their final spell together. In all her long years in Hell, maybe she’d perfected a way to mimic her earthly body. She’d been complaining about that the last time he’d seen her. Then again, maybe she felt different due to his own more recent transformation. He wasn’t exactly wearing his earthly body either.

“Rowena,” he grumbled and released her hand. He moved back and down but his eyes stayed level with hers, his height making up the difference the elevated dais made.

“To what do I owe this unexpected _pleasure_?”

Sam cleared his throat and resisted the urge to pull at his collar. He was far too old for boyish behavior anymore. A full lifetime on Earth and another decade in Heaven. He’d had experiences enough to fill a dozen more lifetimes. This was not the time to let barely implied innuendo distract him. Better to fall back on the formal greeting.

“I seek an audience with the Queen of Hell...” He trailed off, unsure how to proceed. It was not an easy thing Sam was thinking of doing. He needed all the help he could get. He’d felt pretty confident back when he’d made the decision to come to Hell and talk to his old...friend. But now, standing in a court surrounded by demons and hellfire, he wasn’t so sure.

“Perhaps about your recent...ascension, your _majesty_?”

Sam drew in a sharp breath and froze.

On one hand, it was kind of a relief that she already knew. One the other, he wasn’t exactly pleased with the idea that she clearly had some way of spying on Heaven. Whether it be by an actual spy in his court or by magic able to wriggle through the barrier between their dimensions, either way it spelled nothing but trouble for her to be able to look in on him any time she wanted. Not to mention anyone else who could do the same. 

Sam felt sure that he could trust Rowena. She’d died for the world, after all. Sam felt that at the end there, they’d come to some kind of unspoken yet steadfast understanding. Something real and true that defied all logic. Still, the cheshire grin she wore in that moment made him wary. Just because she wouldn’t actively harm him or the people in Heaven’s care didn’t mean she couldn’t be up to something. Sam gave a slight frown. 

“How did you-?” 

“Samuel, my dear, I would make a poor queen of Hell if I didn’t know what was happening in an enemy realm.”

Sam paused at that.

“And are we?” he said softly. “Enemies, I mean?” 

She blinked.

A hush fell over the hall. All demons present waiting on bated breath for their ruler’s answer. Even the black clouded demons seemed to still their restless roiling. The longer the silence lasted, the more nervous Sam became until he had to actively fight not to squirm. Maybe he should’ve brought an angelic entourage after all. Maalik, his escort waiting at the Gates of Hell, had warned him of going into the other dimension alone but Sam had been confident he could handle Rowena. He’d known her for years on Earth. Although, if Sam were completely honest, that had been decades ago. Who knew where they stood now?

Rowena shifted slightly and the throne adjusted and settled. With the movement of the vines, there came a soft whine. Sam figured that normally the sound would’ve been too soft to be perceptible over the din of a demon court but the quiet right then let him hear it. It sounded like a distant scream. 

Sam stared hard at the squirming chair beneath Rowena’s long, emerald skirts. There was...something. The dark between the vines’ tendrils were not as empty as he’d thought. Something writhed in the void. Suddenly a wisp of black smoke whipped out around Rowena’s bare ankle. Rowena tapped a single finger on the arm of the chair and the smoke snapped back into place behind a vine. Sam understood then that they were souls. Demon souls trapped within her throne like it was a cage. Sam wondered how long they’d been there. Days? Weeks? A few decades, maybe? Time worked differently in Hell and at the whim of Hell’s ruler. It very easily could’ve been centuries.

The shock must have been written all over his face because the grin Rowena had worn through the entire meeting widened into a full blown smile. She threw her head back and laughed. The demons along the walls followed suit almost hysterically, fear laced through every cackle. With Rowena’s throne holding untold demons it wasn’t hard for Sam to understand what made them so afraid of her.

“Us?” she replied to his earlier question. “Not enemies, I don’t think. Rivals, maybe. Competitors?”

She stopped laughing and the smile turned softer, more affectionate. Her eyes crinkled at the corners and her bracelets jingled when she leaned forward. Rowena wore the smile Sam remembered from their lives before. 

“I think we two are far past enemies now, my dove.” 

A tightness in Sam’s shoulders that he hadn’t even noticed was released. His hands unclenched and he started to return the smile instinctively. One sentence and she’d undone all the tension that had been growing from the moment he’d stepped foot in Hell.

“But, Heaven?” she continued. “Now that might be a different story.”

Sam locked eyes with hers and nodded that he understood. Heaven was a tough nut to crack, even for him. Being King didn’t make it any easier. Once he had taken on the mantle, he’d decided not to destroy the few angels left or throw any of them into the Empty. It was a decision he’d made to help stabilize and fortify the billions of human souls still in their different heavenly dreams. Heaven was powered and sustained by angels, after all. The decision had consequences, however. It meant that his court was currently made of servants from Chuck’s reign. Angels potentially still loyal to an old God or still resentful of all the trouble the Winchesters and Castiel had caused in life. A house of vipers. Heaven might well be his enemy too.

Sam darted his eyes quickly around the room. “Rowena, can we speak privately?” 

He was tired of talking in circles and trying to navigate the demons surrounding him. He was even more eager to return to Heaven. Rowena’s comment made him anxious at the thought of leaving his dimension for too long.

She made him wait a moment before she spoke. 

“Of course, Samuel. I would be delighted,” she said and gracefully stood. 

She stepped to the edge of the dais, looked out over his head, and shouted, “Everyone, back to work!”At her barked command, the smoked out demons flowed into grates on the floor and the ones in hosts hurried out the massive doors where Sam had entered. 

When the last demon had gone, Rowena held out her hand to him again. He helped her step down the stairs to his side. Before he could let go and move back she tightened her grip in his hand, snaked her arm through his, and began to lead him to the side of the hall. She waved a hand in the air and the wall dissolved to reveal a door. The door opened on its own into a kind of large drawing room filled with couches, books, and magical paraphernalia. A massive fireplace burned more hellfire on the far end from the door.

“Come, sit,” Rowena said, letting go of his arm and sweeping toward a settee near the fire. She tapped the cushion next to her invitingly. 

Sam stepped into the room and the door closed behind him. When he glanced back, he saw that it had disappeared, leaving only the stone wall. Sam ignored Rowena’s invitation to sit next to her and chose an armchair opposite her instead.

She leaned to the side to pour them both a drink from a decanter. “Now what do you need from me, my dear?”

Sam took the glass she offered, threw back a long swig, and just came right out with it.

“I need your help remaking the universe.”

Rowena started choking on her sip of whiskey. She nearly dropped her drink from a coughing fit so Sam leapt forward to take it and placed both their glasses on the side table. He settled next to her and began to gently pat Rowena’s back to help her catch her breath.

After a minute, she waved him off. “I’m sorry, Samuel. I thought you just said you wanted to ‘remake the universe’ or something outrageous like that!” 

Sam smiled. Maybe he hadn’t worded that all too well.

“Well, don’t stop on my account. Keep going,” she urged him. 

He obliged, “How much do you know about me taking the throne in Heaven?”

“Only that it happened and that it was roughly ten Earth years ago. Rumor has it the ceremony was quite grand though the details on _why_ you ascended have been shrouded in mystery.”

That was all correct. The ceremony had been far more ostentatious than Sam liked but Castiel had insisted on making a grand showing of it Sam frowned, “Actually, how did you find out about it at all?”

Rowena rolled her eyes. “Please, Samuel. I am seated on one of the most powerful thrones in the afterlife. After we killed God, I created a ward that signals me whenever there is a massive change in universal energy just in case Chuck managed to reform himself. Turns out it works just as well on humans becoming gods.”

That made sense. Rowena always did like having multiple backup plans for any scheme she cooked up. If she felt it the moment Sam ascended, she probably had one already in place for him too.

“Honestly,” she continued, slanting her gaze sideways. “I’m a little insulted that you didn’t tell me yourself. Ten years after the fact, Samuel? I thought we were closer than that.” 

Her rebuke made him a little embarrassed. They _were_ closer than that. He really should have reached out. He had just been so busy trying to learn the ins and outs of actually managing Heaven. He’d had to dilate time just to even try. He told Rowena as much.

“I am sorry,” he offered imploringly. He hoped his face was suitably chastised as he had not intended to disrespect her in any way. 

Rowena continued to glare for a moment, then she waved her hand. “I expect a more tangible apology later but for now let’s get back on track.”

“Right,” he nodded, wondering what recompense she would demand. Hopefully it wouldn’t bite him on the ass later. He sighed and leaned forward over his knees, staring down at clasped hands. 

“After we killed Chuck and made Jack the new foundation on which our universe can exist, Castiel and I approached the Empty and Billie to work out a different deal. One that would keep Jack as the new base foundation but make me a kind of Regent of Heaven instead of Jack. At least until he has a few millennia of experience.”

Rowena’s mouth fell open in shock. “Why in hell would you do that? _How_ in the hell did you do that?””

Sam shrugged. “Jack is so young. He hadn’t even had the chance to live his life and then he got killed by God. Then he got conscripted into Billie’s plan to replace him. I just couldn’t stand the idea of Jack sacrificing so much for the universe. It didn’t feel right.”

“So you decided to spare the lad by sacrificing yourself instead.” She smiled and shook her head. “What fool kings and queens we all make.”

Sam chuckled at that. It was true they’d all come to their positions at great personal cost. Not one of them had managed the transition unscathed. Sam decided in that moment to think of it as the start of a new and better era. One that wasn’t built on hurting or using others to stroke a fragile ego but built on doing what was best for everyone in the universe. Billie had understood his position and while she hadn’t liked changing her plans for a Winchester, she’d capitulated once he had sworn a binding oath to preserve and safeguard the delicate balance she served. If he broke his promise, it meant Jack would immediately be killed and snapped up to Heaven while Sam would lose all power and be disintegrated into the Empty. Suffice it to say, he had a vested interest not to let that happen.

“Castiel actually offered at first,” he elaborated. “But the Empty refused to allow it due to some debt Castiel owes them.”

Sam wished he had more information on that deal, truthfully. Something about the way Castiel had looked when the issue had come up had been unsettling. But both he and the Empty had refused to answer more questions. Since Sam had not wanted to antagonize the cosmic force too much, he’d let it go.

“And how did Dean take all of this?”

Not well was the short answer. Sam shrugged again, “It could’ve gone better but it wasn’t his choice to make, it was mine. Besides, Billie says that the process wouldn’t have worked for him anyway. She had to use a lingering bit of my connection to Chuck to build upon. She explained that with Dean, the same ritual would have turned him into a new Darkness instead of a balancing Light.”

Rowena nodded. Sam could see her making magical calculations in her head. She probably could build out the exact same ritual based solely on what he’d mentioned. She could create spells like no one he’d ever seen. Her craft was probably even greater now that she had access to cosmic power.

“Both he and Jack finally agreed after they made Billie promise that the transition would only happen after I died one of my natural deaths from her Library.”

 _‘How can you ask me to live my life if you don’t get to live yours?’_ Jack had cried.

Sam’s chest still hurt at the memory. Jack had been insistent that he could handle whatever Billie had planned. The truth was more complicated. Sam could see as clear as day that even though Jack had been at peace with what he had to do, he was also scared out of his mind and sad to leave them. It was a tragic thing to expect a child to carry the weight of an entire universe on their shoulders. Even a nephilim child. Sam wouldn’t let that happen even if he had to sacrifice the rest of his eternal life for it. 

It had worked out better than he’d thought, though. Truthfully, Sam found the work far more preferable to being in his own little simulated heaven. Nostalgia had always been more Dean’s thing. Spending eternity living in the good memories of his life had never been that appealing to Sam once he’d learned that was what paradise meant. Better than being tortured in hell, sure, but still just utterly boring. That was one of the biggest reasons he wanted to remake the way things were done in the afterlife, in fact. He couldn’t be the only one that found holo-heaven unappealing. That realization was what had brought him to Rowena.

“After my death, Billie’s ritual took hold and I found myself...changed.”

It had actually been an excruciating experience. Every atom of his body and soul had been transmogrified into something alien and boundless.

“I spent a long time trying to just absorb everything so I could take on my new duties. Not an easy task with resentful angels glaring at me left and right.” 

An angel named Baraqiel had given him the most trouble in that regard. Sam had been forced to Empty him after he’d tried to stage a coup. Ridiculous considering the woefully small number of angels left in all Creation. Sam had actually tried as hard as possible not to destroy him for that very reason but Bara had given him no choice in the end. Eventually things had mostly settled, giving Sam a chance to sit with the Book of Life where he found the truth of what Chuck had done.

“While looking into the tally system, we found some...discrepancies.”

His fists clenched tighter together in his anger. Sam was staring hard at the ground so he didn’t notice Rowena reach over until he saw her small hand appear and fall gently onto his wrist. He looked over into her eyes and took a calming breath. 

“What do you mean by ‘discrepancies,’” she asked softly.

He leaned back. “After Chuck disappeared the first time, the angels asked Anubis to tally souls and transition them to either Heaven or Hell after they were delivered from the Veil by a reaper.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Well, apparently after his death, some of Chuck’s more insidious spells stopped. One of them was placed on Anubis so that he would not notice when a soul’s natural tally was circumvented by Chuck. When Anubis and I started really looking, we found that Kevin and Eileen weren’t the only souls he’d damned on a whim. Plus there were a lot that he unjustly sanctified too. Anubis is still buried in the paperwork in between soul judgements.”

Rowena poured another drink for them both and handed him the glass. “Chuck really was a venomous son of a bitch, wasn’t he?” 

She said it with a small, almost amused smirk and Sam was suddenly reminded that she had briefly flirted with Chuck back when they’d all been working to stop Amara. A frisson of anger shot through him. He tamped it down before he could examine it. It was ridiculous to be envious of someone who was currently deatomized into nothingness.

“I assume this is why you came to visit finally? You wish my assistance in freeing souls from my dungeons that you think have been wrongfully punished.”

“Well, that’s part of it,” he replied. He ran a hand through his long hair and back off his face. “After we discovered problems in the Book of Life, I decided to look into other areas and found there were a lot of things Chuck fiddled with. Heaven is a mess. I can’t imagine Hell would be any better.” 

He’d found issues with the way prophets were chosen, the way personal heavens were distributed and maintained, even angel classification had been arbitrarily changed multiple times. Honestly, Sam was no longer surprised at how terrible the Supernatural books had turned out after spending five years detangling Heaven’s internal working with Castiel, Anubis, and Pravuil, head of records.

Rowena stood and walked over to the fireplace, warming one hand on the hellfire and holding onto her whiskey with the other. Her green dress turned emerald in the stronger light. 

“I will admit that I have found some discrepancies, myself, in the inner workings of Hell. Truth be told, I figured it was Fergus cutting corners. That boy was a genius when he wanted to be but he could be a bit lazy at the worst times.”

Sam could see that. Crowley had always had a tendency to try to gain the most amount of power for the least amount of work. Pawning off killing Lucifer on two woefully unprepared hunters during the first apocalypse. He’d even re-shaped Hell’s gen pop into an endless, tedious line to spare himself and his court from having to design personalized hellscapes for damned souls. He’d practically made demons nearly obsolete. Efficiency, he’d liked to call it in public. During the Trials to seal Hell, Crowley had confessed to Sam that he'd honestly done it because he found infernal architecture boring.

“And have you had a chance to check the Book of the Dead?” he asked. Rowena seemed saddened after mentioning her son but it was the kind of sad that wasn’t an invitation for discussion so Sam let it lie. 

“As it happens,” she said instead. “I have not reviewed the Book recently and certainly not for tallying up unjustified damnations.”

He set his empty glass on the table and followed Rowena to the fireplace, careful not to get too close and set his pants on fire.

“Well, Cass and I agreed that it might be a good idea to review not just Heaven, but everything.”

“You want to _audit_ the Natural Order?” she asked, incredulous.

Sam’s cheeks heated up. He was thankful he could disguise the reaction outwardly now. When she put it like that, it sounded...lame. He couldn’t really complain however since that was exactly what it was.

“It needs to be done,” he said firmly. “Chuck really twisted everything to suit his purposes. It’ll take centuries to unravel it. Nothing can be fixed until we find everything he did as part of his ‘stories.’ And since everything in the celestial cosmos is connected to maintain balance--Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, the Veil--we’ll have to go through everything. Even the Empty is probably a mess.”

Rowena snorted. “I’d really like to see you try that last one. That Shadow is a tetchy one.”

Sam grimaced. “Yeah, well...I thought I’d work up to them.”

It was not a conversation he was excited to have. The Empty already resented him for convincing Billie not to throw him and Dean into the void after they died. The Empty had actually gleefully explained that he and Dean were something they had been looking forward to collecting. Implying that maybe other souls had been put in the void by mistake and talking them into releasing those souls would be...challenging.

She smiled and looked up through her eyelashes. “But you decided to come to little, old me first.”

He returned her smile. “You are the one I know the best out of the others.”

“Meaning I was the one you thought most likely to agree to your little venture. Flattering.”

Sam blushed again. 

“You are a strange one, Samuel Winchester. I’ll give you that.” She shook her head, bemused. “You always bring me the strangest of proposals.”

“Does that mean you’ll help?” he prompted hopefully. 

Rowena finished off her drink and set her empty glass down on the ornate fireplace mantel. She studied his face for a long moment. He could almost feel her weighing all the options in her mind.

It was _so_ long a moment that Sam wondered if maybe he had miscalculated. Maybe he should have talked to Billie first. No. Billie was guaranteed to push back at the idea of him changing anything in the Natural Order. It skirted dangerously close to what he’d sworn _not_ to do and he was sure she’d point that out immediately. He hadn’t yet revealed even to Rowena that he wanted to do more than just do an “audit” and return things to the status quo. His ultimate goal, which only Castiel knew, was to completely reform the way things worked in the universe, from how souls were rewarded or punished to how souls were used as fuel for personal power to how each cosmic entity governed their domain. Even Rowena might balk at that so Sam thought it best to save that until the fourth or so century in. No need to sabotage his own plan before it even got off the ground, so to speak.

“Fine, Samuel,” she said. “I will help you and help convince the others provided you do two things for me.” She held up two perfectly manicured fingers.

Sam tensed at her innocent tone. He’d walked into Hell knowing he’d have to give something to Rowena in exchange but the timbre of her voice made him wary. Despite how much he trusted Rowena, he couldn’t really forget that he was sitting in a literal den of evil. 

Rowena laughed at his changed posture. “Oh relax, you great, big giant! Both orders should be easy to fill.”

“I’ll remain skeptical,” he replied unconvinced. 

She slapped his shoulder at that and then listed her demands, “First, I would like increased access to primordial power.”

Sam’s jaw dropped open. “You couldn’t have at least _tried_ to bury the lead there?” 

Rowena shrugged, unapologetic. “We’re both dead, why bury anything any more?”

“I don’t even have access to primordial power! It’s...it’s primordial. From before time began.”

“Well, _obviously_ , Samuel,” she said exasperated. “I don’t want you to _give_ me the power. Whenever we decide to have your little cosmic summit to audit all of Creation, I want you to support my request to Death, the Shadow, and Eve if she wakes for it.”

Eve? Sam frowned. “Dean killed Eve. She should be in the Empty.”

“He killed her _corporeal_ form. Fergus wrote in his journals that he continued research on her corpse to try to figure out why it kept gushing eggs after your brother killed her. Probably to see if he could find a way to use her postmortem connection to save himself from the Empty. Fat lot of good that did him in the end.”

Sam suppressed a gag. _Eggs_? He would never get over how disgusting some monsters were. Sometimes he wished Chuck was still alive just so he could ask him why.

“When Eve’s physical body died, her soul returned to Purgatory. She’s in some kind of slumber on the Isle of Empty Sea.” 

Sam had not expected to have to deal with Eve. He’d reluctantly planned on approaching the Leviathans if needed but if Eve was still in play as its ruler, he’d have to change his game plan for Purgatory.

Sam nodded at Rowena’s first request. “Within reason, Rowena, I will back you.” 

It was on his list of reforms to create a more equal balance between the different realms. As long as Rowena didn’t get out of hand, he could support it.

Rowena pouted a little but moved on to her next demand.

“Second,” she started and hesitated. He wondered what she was reluctant to ask for after requesting access to primordial power so shamelessly. Sam braced himself.

“I want you to use your newfound power to lift the holy admonishment that prevents me from leaving Hell.”

Sam’s eyes widened. He had not been expecting that. 

“I’d remove it myself but damned souls are automatically cursed with a brand by God. Evidently _that_ didn’t lift when he died. I’ve had it ever since I fell into the Pit. Even after becoming Queen.”

Rowena had always hated being confined. It was probably...well, _hell_ to be trapped in one dimension even after assuming a cosmic mantle. Sam himself found his ability to now instantly go to literally anywhere in the entire universe one of the most liberating experiences of his new existence. It was a fair request, and one he could grant immediately.

“Done,” he said, smiling. He’d removed a couple of curses from souls after he’d discovered what Chuck had done in Heaven. This was easily the most straightforward of her requests although the process was anything but. Plus Rowena’s curse was likely to be more complex due to the circumstances of her damnation.

Rowena looked shocked at the quick reply. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t prepared for it. He was going to give this to her no matter what. And if Billie complained, he had plenty of evidence to counter her. After all, according to Rowena’s scales, she should’ve never been damned after sacrificing herself for the world.

“Do you mind?” he asked before gesturing toward her. He would have to touch her a little more intimately than usual to complete the working.

She shook her head without a word, face still stunned.

Sam moved behind her and placed his palm gently on her stomach, the same hand he’d used to stab her all those years before. His fingers spanned over her womb and he held his other hand on her shoulder to steady himself. He focused on Rowena and concentrated his energy. The shimmer of hellfire faded and the illusion she had raised to feel more alive was dropped. Her soul began to glow the usual spiritual white. Sam adjusted his Sight to see beyond the surface and her aura began to suffuse her form. Her natural aura was the lightest of purples, less vibrant than her magic had been on Earth, and it was shot through with silver and black. Just at the place where the dagger had killed her was an angry, red enochian brand. Red tendrils crept from the brand into her spirit, binding her to Hell.

He squeezed Rowena’s shoulder. “This will be unpleasant.”

“True magic always is,” she whispered and braced herself against the fireplace. 

He brushed his thumb along the nape of her neck in comfort. When he was sure she was ready, he directed his energy from one hand to the other, lancing the curse mark from her soul in one quick move. Rowena cried out in a sharp yell and swayed forward into the mantle. Sam pulled her back into his front to hold her tight. The process wasn’t over yet.

Removing a branded curse created a gaping rip on the soul. He had to use his own energy to seal the wound and close it. He poured more energy into his right hand, filling the tear with it. Rowena fell back into him even harder at the force of it and reached one hand down to grab tightly at his wrist. 

He concentrated on imagining Rowena’s soul intact, whole, and healthy. Slowly the ragged edges of spirit began to sew together, making up the missing parts with the energy he’d used to flood Rowena’s womb. He could feel Rowena suppress another scream. He tried to work as quickly as possible but he wasn’t as powerful as he could’ve been without access to primordial power like Chuck had. It unfortunately meant things like healing souls took a lot of energy.

When he finished stitching the wound at last, they both collapsed heavily onto the fireplace mantle. He had enough sense to lock his arm around Rowena’s waist and not drop her into the hellfire. The process had pained her far more than it had him and, while he was sure she would never admit it, he could tell she was having trouble standing. To keep them both from falling, he directed them back onto a couch, his arm still tight around her. 

“ _Mac na galla!_ ”

Rowena was shaking slightly and they were both out of breath even though neither of them needed it.

“I have no idea what you just said,” he panted. “But I agree.”

In his haste to grant Rowena’s wish, he’d forgotten how much healing souls scarred by divine curses drained him. He definitely had to take a few moments to gather himself. He closed his eyes and leaned his head onto the back of the couch. It was quite a while before either of them moved. 

Finally, Rowena began to stir. He jerked up at her movement. The first thing she did was pour another drink. This time from a brandy bottle. She poured it into his glass, took a long draft and handed it over to him to share. He took it and gratefully downed the rest before handing it back to her. The clink it made hitting the table made an especially loud noise in the silent chamber.

Rowena decided to break the silence again with, “I have to confess, Samuel, I wasn’t expecting you to grant my wish so immediately. I thought you’d have to hem and haw over it with the other celestials more.”

Sam squeezed her waist. “I have a bit more authority than that, Rowena.”

Instead of pulling away like he’d expected, she turned on the couch and leaned further into his chest. Her head dropped heavily onto his shoulder so he raised his arm up a little to make it more comfortable for her.

“I’ll have to find another excuse to get you to come visit me, then.”

Sam froze. Tonight really was a night for surprises.

“You want me to visit?” he said tentatively.

She leaned to the side to see his face. Her eyes searched his. For what, he did not know.

“Yes, dear boy, I do.” Rowena said it softly and as she spoke the illusion of reality began to hang around her again. Her skin warmed and her cheeks flushed then her eyes began to shine. She added a perfume to the glamor this time. She smelled like sweetened nuts, cinnamon, and apples. He wanted to bury himself in that scent.

He’d missed Rowena terribly when he’d been still alive. Killing her was one of the few things he’d never quite forgiven himself for even despite her order to after he met her again in Hell. The fact that he’d never found a way to change their twisted fate had haunted him for the rest of his life. It pained him just as much as losing Jess, Sarah, Madison, and Eileen. Even now that he could see all of them whenever he wanted, it lingered in the back of his mind that they would never get to the lives they’d deserved. He didn’t really know what to say to express any of that and Rowena might not welcome that kind of confession anyway.

“I will,” he said instead and he raised one of her hands to his lips as a promise. An echo of the greeting from her throne room.

Rowena smiled at that and opened her mouth to speak but before she could, there came a loud ring from the place where the door had been.

It startled them both and they jumped simultaneously.

Rowena sat back from him and patted her hair. She waved two fingers down and an intercom appeared on the wall.

“This had better be important,” she shouted. “Clearly, I am in a meeting!”

“Yes, your maleficence,” came the reply from whatever demon stooge was acting as her assistant. “My apologies, my queen, but there has been an incident in Dis.”

Rowena pinched the bridge of her nose. “And?”

The demon cautiously continued, “An incident pertaining to the...matter you discussed in this morning’s meeting. With Paimon, I mean.”

Rowena closed her eyes and slumped her shoulders. “Fine,” she said to her toady. “Leave now.”

“Yes, your magnifi-”

She waved her hand and banished the intercom before the demon could finish.

She laid the same hand onto his chest. “Well, my boy, it looks like we will have to end our meeting here.”

Sam smiled and nodded. “It’s probably for the best. My guard Maalik is waiting at the Gates and probably gearing up to storm Hell to find me.”

It was another moment before either of them moved to separate. Then Sam stood and held out his hand to help her follow. He moved to walk away but her hand tightened in his and pulled him to a stop.

“Not so fast,” she chastised. “We still haven’t signed our contract.” 

Sam stopped dead in his tracks. “What?” he asked quizzically.

“Come now, Samuel. You know how these things work,” Rowena drawled.

She stepped in close to him. In her stiletto heels, the top of her head just barely came up to his chin. She reached up and ran her hands along his arms and up to his shoulders. She leaned her head back even as her body swayed forward into his. He reached out to steady her by grabbing her waist.

“Sealed with a kiss,” she whispered.

His eyes darted to her peach-colored lips and he resisted the impulse to lick his own. 

“You’re lucky I’m not Fergus,” she resumed, “or I would’ve changed the deal on you.”

Her face was closer now. Closer than it had ever been to his own since the day she’s died.

“You’re not a demon, Rowena,” he whispered back. “I don’t think you ever will be. I can tell.” 

“Can you really?” she asked, tilting her head distracted.

Rowena hadn’t exactly been a saint in life, in fact she had been terrifying for a large part of it, but she’d worked hard on cleansing herself of a lot of her spiritual failings before the end. Somehow centuries of time in Hell as its Queen had not corrupted her soul any more than it had been at her death. Honestly, it was incredible. Something about what he’d felt from her aura told him that, unless someone more powerful than them affected her, her soul would remain the same as it was in that moment as it would be for all eternity.

He nodded. “I can feel it.”

“Oh? Do you read fortunes now?” 

Her hands moved slowly down the front of his shoulders to his chest. He started breathing a little more heavily and he was finding it really hard to concentrate. 

Sam cleared his throat. “Not fortunes, just auras. How do you think I was able to see your soul’s essence to heal it? A lot has changed since we last saw each other.”

“I certainly see that,” she said as she lightly pulled at a long strand of his brown hair, now heavily streaked with gray. 

When he’d died for the last time, the spiritual body that formed in the afterlife wasn’t his 92 year old one but the one from when he’d been about 58 and was trying out a beard again. He’d since learned how to control that kind of thing but he found that the look suited him, so he’d maintained it. Considering Rowena was now thoughtfully running her fingers over his short beard as well, Sam figured it had been a good decision.

“Demons have brown and gray-green sludge auras.”

She’d been staring at his mouth but her eyes flicked upward at that. “Sorry, what?”

“Demons,” he repeated and lost his battle not to lick his lips. “The energy that emanates from their souls. They look terrible.”

“And what does mine look like, then? You know people can’t see their own,” she said curiously. She was playing with the pearl buttons on his shirt now.

Sam tightened his fingers on her midriff and he ran his eyes down her face.

“Like lilacs edged in silver and black,” he said. Then he lifted her up and kissed her.

She yelped and grabbed his shoulders to balance herself. Then she slammed down hard onto his mouth and devoured him. He braced one arm underneath her firm ass and opened his mouth to give as good as he got. Rowena’s hand found its way into his hair to hold him where she wanted and he softened to allow it. She made herself taste just like she smelled: of apples and cinnamon.

By the time they finished, the intercom was ringing again. Rowena slowly pulled back her mouth and pressed her forehead down onto his. His eyes stayed close, just taking the whole moment in.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for decades,” she whispered.

He giggled, actually _giggled_ Heaven help him, and replied just as softly, “So have I.”

Her hand smoothed over his cheek and as it did, he slowly let her down from his arms. When he opened his eyes, he saw that her hair had completely fallen from her knot. He gently brushed it back behind her shoulder.

“Well,” she said lightly, straightening out her rumpled dress. “I can’t wait to see what happens the next time you ask for an audience with the Queen of Hell.”

Sam burst into laughter.


End file.
